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Thread: Tuacahn Saddle/ Fern Gully/ Satans Staircase?/ Gunsight

  1. #1

    Tuacahn Saddle/ Fern Gully/ Satans Staircase?/ Gunsight

    Dave and I met up at 8:30AM at Tuacahn for a hike. I had previously taken several routes to the top of Red Mountain, but had never ventured up "Daves Route", Satans Staircase. Dave set a rigorous pace (which I needed and wanted) to get up to the Saddle dividing Tuacahn with Snow Canyon 3 Ponds Trail. We dropped down the north side of the saddle to an alcove referred to as Fern Gully by local fitness group hikes manifests. We ran into a group of 8? BSA Leaders and scouts that had spent the night at the base of the massive waterfall. They were just leaving, heavily laden with camping gear and their pet dog. (camping and dogs are tabu in this area). We walked into the chasm created by desert waterfalls, and low, and behold, they had made a fire, and the kids had created pictrographs with charcoal on the pristine cliff face. Anyway, we then departed, and headed up a steep ramp that Dave had ascended previously. He assured me that we could ascend the 2000' up the slickrock mountain above, and make it a-top Red Mountain. WHAT AN AWESOME ROUTE! SLICKROCK scrambling, 3rd and 4th class with views that I've not seen the likes before! Anyway...we got to the summit and celebrated (this was a new route that Dave hadn't done and wasn't sure if it would go). We then x-c'd to a peak to the south and made our way down "Gunsight" (as it is marked on the Redcliff Desert Reserve Map inaccurately) and made our way back to my vehic. after an absolutely beautiful day of hiking! Look at photo 914 and see if you can pick out our route up the mostly vertical Slickrock!
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  3. #2

    Re: Tuacahn Saddle/ Fern Gully/ Satans Staircase?/ Gunsight

    Quote Originally Posted by Bo_Beck
    ...We ran into a group of 8? BSA Leaders and scouts that had spent the night at the base of the massive waterfall. They were just leaving heavily laden with camping gear and pet dog. (Camping and dogs are tabu in this area). We walked into the chasm created by desert waterfalls and low and behold, they had a fire, and the kids had created pictrographs with charcoal on the pristine cliff face. ...
    Bo,
    Great TR.

    As a guy who works with my local BSA troop, I'm sorry that these boys did what they did (and that their leaders let them). Boys will do what their leaders allow them to get away with. It's too bad that these leaders weren't willing to put a stop to the shenanigans.


    Last year almost every BSA leader in the St. George area (who goes to his monthly training meetings) received a letter from the local Scout office about a troop that was, like the one you ran into, behaving badly. The people who saw the misbehaving Scouts reported them to the Scout Office in St. George with a letter telling them about their experience. They had taken the licence plate number of one of the leaders' trucks and reported it in the letter. The Scout Office contacted him and spoke the church leaders in his ward as well. I spoke to a professional Scout leaders later and he said that that they had taken it seriously and had worked with the leader to help learn how to do better.

    My recommendation is that EVERYONE who has a legitimate concern about a Boy Scout troop behaving this way make a report to the Scout Office-- not just to complain, but so that something about this changes. So, look for the Troop #, or ask the troop for it. And Report them.

    The BSA office in St. George:
    204 N 1000 E
    St George, UT 84770-3155
    (435) 628-5172

    I'll brag a bit here, and say that MY troop would never have behaved this way.
    --
    Matthew

    "If your knees aren't green by the end of the day, you ought to seriously reexamine your life."

  4. #3
    Moderator jman's Avatar
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    nice area! You have any pics of "fern gully"?

  5. #4
    Looks like a great trip , Bo. I'm heading over to Ivins this AM to do a short hike with a friend, looking forward to some different vistas.

    Win
    Quoting my best friend, Bob McNally, after a bad boating trip: "Nature scares me!"

    Utah photos: www.winpics.fototime.com

  6. #5

    Re: Tuacahn Saddle/ Fern Gully/ Satans Staircase?/ Gunsight

    Quote Originally Posted by mtthwlw
    Bo,
    Great TR.
    As a guy who works with my local BSA troop, I'm sorry that these boys did what they did (and that their leaders let them). Boys will do what their leaders allow them to get away with. It's too bad that these leaders weren't willing to put a stop to the shenanigans.

    I'll brag a bit here, and say that MY troop would never have behaved this way.
    It's always great to hear that there certainly are responsible folks in "Leadership" roles. In no way can I claim that I am a role model, but at the same time I believe that somehow these boys will learn the actions they took will have repercussions, and will realize that it would have been nice to learn proper environmental awareness from the leaders at the time.

  7. #6
    Quote Originally Posted by jman
    nice area! You have any pics of "fern gully"?
    No unfortunately I did not take photos at Fern Gully. When I got back to my vehicle I ran into a guide that had just finished taking clients up to the same spot, and explained that they had spent some time rubbing the grafitti off with wet sand. He said that they were able to remove most of the drawings. The fire and smoke evidence will wash away eventually as well. No real permanent damage.

    The area was very beautiful. The route we took to the top of Red Mountain has only been done a few times (by Dave and friends) and certainly gave me perspective of the extensive beauty and adventures that lay in my own backyard.

  8. #7
    Quote Originally Posted by Win
    Looks like a great trip , Bo. I'm heading over to Ivins this AM to do a short hike with a friend, looking forward to some different vistas.

    Win
    Awesome Win! Looks like another beautiful day for a "Hike in the Desert"! Enjoy!
    Bo

  9. #8
    Very nice!

    Yikes to picture 914 - that is a long way up! How long did it take for you guys to complete this part of the route?

    Beautiful pictures!


  10. #9
    Quote Originally Posted by Felicia
    Very nice!

    Yikes to picture 914 - that is a long way up! How long did it take for you guys to complete this part of the route?

    Beautiful pictures!

    Thanks Felicia! It was a very great day for hiking. Temps were perfect! Dave and I left the car at 8:30 and were back to the car at 1PM. I believe that it took us a little over an hour to get all the way to the summit from the time we started up the slickrock?
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